Frozen confectionery



Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,592

F. W. EPPERSQN I FROZEN CONFECIIONERY Original Filed June 1111924 INVENTOR Edn is W Ep ae/v'wz Q QM 0 $2M 4 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 19, 1924,

P E NT 0 F F E,

FRANK W. EPIPERSON, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

FROZEN coivrncirroivnnv.

Original application filed June 11, 1924, Serial No. 719,295. Divided and this application filed July 19,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. EPPERSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Frozen Confectionery, of which the following is a specification.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a method or process for making a frozen confection of attractive appearance, which can be conveniently consumed without contamination by contact with the hand and without the need for a plate, spoon, fork or other implement, which process can be expeditiously carried out at small expense with simple apparatus, without the need for expert care and in thoroughly sanitary manner.

In the preferred method for making the confection, small containers which may be ordinary test tubes are charged with the liquid syrup from which the confection is frozen and the handle sticks are inserted thereinto and pressed down into contact with The test tube, confection and stick are thus frozen together into a rigid mass, from which the test tube container is removed against the vacuum thus the confection will remain a' unit with the.

stick even under the relatively high tension required in withdrawal from the test tube generated.

This, application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 719,295, filed June 11, 1924, which, in turn, is a continuation in part as to. all common subject-matter of my earlier copending application, Serial No. 622,830, filed March 5, 1923.

. In the accompanying drawings, in which 1924. Serial No. 726,950.

is shown one of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal crosssection illustrating the relation of the parts when refrigeration is about to commence,

Fig. 2 is a view on a small scale illustrating the arrangement of the units in the refrigerating machine,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the completed confection, and;

Fig. 4 is a view in transverse cross-section taken along the line 4-4: of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, I have shown a mold in the form of a small cylindrical smooth-walled vessel having an imperforate bottom and side wall, which may be an ordinary test tube 10, in which is placed a stick 11 preferably non-circular, illustratively square in cross-section as at 11'. The tube is partly or wholly filled with a syrup 12 of any flavor, preferably mainly water with suitable proportions of flavoring matter, natural or synthetic, and sugar. I11 the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, a dozen or more of the units shown in Fig. 1 are mounted in a single refrigerating'chamber 13, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2 for simultaneous congelation. In order to maintain the various sticks in contact with the bottoms of the test tubes or other containers, against the buoyant effect of the syrup therein, an

appropriate weight such as a board 14 presses down upon the tops of the various sticks 11 which protrude well above the containers. It is preferredto operate the machine for refrigeration at such intensity that the congelation of the syrup in the containers is completed in from two to six minutes. In the expansion due to freezing, the edible mass will tightly engage or grip both the container 10 and the stick 11 and will protrude in the manner of a cone 15 at the upperend.

The stick by its polygonal cross-section and by the fact that it extends the entire length of the confection is effectively keyed with respect to the edible constituent. Moreover, the mass in freezing expands into any small irregularities the stick surface, further performing a keying actlon.

It is preferred to employ a wooden stlck of relatively porous though sapless. and, therefore, tasteless wood-bass, blrch and poplar being found ,most suitable for the purpose. By the use of wood of this char acter, the syrup at the outset completely permeates or soaks through the stick and in a miliar homogeneous creamy consistency of ordinary ice cream, water ice or sherbet.

The containers standing vertically in the refrigerating machine and having a depth of several inches, rapid refrigeration results in a more uniform and homogeneous prodnot than would a slow freezing action. Although the original syru used is preferably an emulsion which wil not stratify, yet

-were the refrigeration action to proceed slowly, it would followthat the water constituent freezing firstjand tending to float on the top, the heavier sugar and flavoring constituent would tend to drop to the bottom, rendering the product highly flavored at the bottom and almost flavorless at the top. By my mode of rapid congelation, the substantially homogenous confection is compieted before any suchseparation can take p ace. g

After the freezing operation is completed, the rigid unit consisting of the container, the frozen; mass and the stick is removed from the refrigerating chamber and by immersion of the container'in lukewarm water,

for instance, the surface of the frozen mass ,will become slightly loosened with respect to the smooth wall of the container and thereupon by grasping the container'in one hand and the handle in the other and pulling on, the handle, after preferably giving the handle a slight turn, the confection will be withdrawn therewith, intact from the container. It will be noted that a substantial tensile force is required to withdraw the confection, inasmuch as the confection operatcs as a relatively air-tight piston in its travel from the container forming substantially a vacuum therebehind.

If the handle and core were not connected to the confection with sufficient security, to resist such substantial pull, it is obvious that in the operation of removal, it would be drawn out of the confection in the tensile action, rather than to withdraw with it the confectlon from the, imperforate mold wall the container.

and bottom. It willbe noted that thetensile force is applied throughout the length of the'stick, which extends the length of the confection, and is distributed over the substantial area of the confection contacting If the stick extended only part of the length of the confection, unless the latter were frozen particularly hard or after freezing were first loosened sufficiently with respect to the moldwall to require but little tensile force for withdrawal, the part beyond the stick and not reinforced thereby,

might readily break'ofi' under the tension exerted in withdrawal. Moreover, where, as just noted, the frozen confection must be heated substantially, or for many seconds,

much of the flavoring material will melt away and remain in themold after subsequent withdrawal of the confection.

The cold masswithdrawn from the highly polished inner surface of the tube, has a relatively hard and polished surface, upon which the moisture from the atmosphere will'condense in the manner of hoar frost, as it is held in the'hand preparatory to eating,

thereby enhancing the beauty of the confection. In the evaporation of any such condensed moisture on the surface of the confection, heat may be abstracted from the edible mass. which possibly accounts for the fact that the confection remains solid for many minutes though exposed to warm temperature.

It will be understood that by reason of the fact that the water constituent will freeze constituent, the latter, will freeze last in the refrigerating chamber and will melt first Y after removal from said chamber. As a corrollary, the confection may be consumed by sucking thereon in which operation, the chilled more or less concentrated flavoring constituent will be drawn into the mouth ,as a refreshing drink derived from the solid on the stick, leaving a white and colorless mass of ice or snow, although, of course, the confection can be eaten in its entirety from the stick.

It will be understood that, were the frozen constituentnot so intimately associated or l keyed with respect to thehandle or stick, there is a likelihood that-it might slip off therefrom preparatory to eating, or that if the core'did not extend the complete length of the confection, but only partly thereinto as in ordinary candy suckers, the part protruding beyond the coreor stick being devoid of the sustaining core, might readily break off and drop away unless carefully handled.- f

The wooden handle is an insulator of heat and will, therefore, neither conduct the cold of the confection to the hand of the con sumer, nor the heat of the hand to the confection. The confection can be eaten without the annoying and unsanitary operation fection at all.

While the circular cylindrical form shown in the drawings is preferred, it will be understood that the term cylindrical in a mathematical sense is generic to other forms, and is so used.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described a method in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above method, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, itis intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The process which consists in-subjecting a quiescent volume containing potable liquid, flavoring matter and sugar and of' substantial height relative to its bass dimensions, to intense refrigeration, whereby a frozen mass 15 formed homogeneous from end to end of character such that the flavoring matter and sugar may be sucked therefrom to leave a tasteless mass of snow or ice.

2. The process of preparing a frozen confection, which consists in immersing a combined handle and sustaining member through substantially the entire height of a potable substance and subjecting the same to refrigeration. whereby it is solidified by congelation to the solid sustaining member extending the entire length thereof.

3. The process of making afrozen confection which consists in immersing a stick into syrup in a vessel and subjectingthe ves el to intense refrigeration, whereby the liquid is frozen intimately and homogeneously about and along the stick.

4. The process of making a frozen confection .which consists in charging a generally cylindrical container, such as a test tube with a syrup in liquid forum-inserting 1 a handle stick thereinto and subjecting the liquid to refrigeration, efiecting loosening of the surface of the frozen confection thereby formed with respect to the container wall and drawing it therefrom by the hendle stick.

5. ;The process of making a frozen confection, which consists in charging a generally cylindrical container, such as a test tube, with a syrup in liquid form, inserting a stick thereinto to substantially contact the bottom thereof and to protrude from the top, and subjecting the liquid to refrigeration, loosening the surface of the frozen confection, thereby formed with respect to the container wall and drawing it therefrom by the handle, whereby the handle in the Withdrawing operation, constitutes a core upon which the tension is exerted without breaking the frozen mass and serves as a core to maintain the mass intact preparatory to and during consumption.

6. The process of making a frozen food product, which consists in charging a generally cylindrical container having a closed bottom, such as a test tube, with a potable flavored substance, inserting a porous rigid.

core thereinto, protruding from the surface of the substance, subjecting the substance to refrigeration, effecting loosening of the surface of the frozen product thereby formed with respect to the container to a degreeinsufiicient to permit the ready entry of air therebetween, and pulling upon the handle to withdraw the product therewith against the vacuum thereby engendered in the con tainer. I r

7. The process of making a frozen confection which'consists in charging a generally cylindrical container having a closed bottom, such as a test tube, with the substance to be congealed, inserting a handle stick-thereinto, and subjecting the substance .to refrigeration to cause an intimate bond with the stick, efiecting loosening of the surface of the frozen confection thereby formed with respect to the containerto a degree insufficient to permit the ready entry of air therebetween, and pulling upon the handle to withdraw the confection therewith against the vacuum thereby engenderedin the container. f

Signed at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, this 15th day of July, A.VD. 1924.- s 1 FRANK w. EPPERSON. 

